A Chinese spokesman told a news conference in Beijing that police had seized guns, bullets and explosives in some Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.

The spokesman also repeatedly said Dalai Lama was linked to Tibetan groups that had organised the recent unrest.

An aide of Dalai Lama immediately denied what the Chinese said as “baseless” allegations. The claims came as China’s anti-riot force was issued a mobilisation order to ensure a trouble-free Beijing Olympic Games. China’s Ministry of Public Security said it had arrested “key members” of an underground network in Lhasa working in coordination with overseas pro-Tibet independence groups to spark a “Tibet People’s Uprising Movement”.

“We now have sufficient evidence to prove that the Lhasa incident is part of the Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement organised by the Dalai clique,” said Chinese spokesman Wu Heping.

“Its purpose is to create a crisis in China by staging coordinated sabotage activities,” he said.

“To our knowledge, the next plan of the Tibet independence forces is to organise suicide squads to launch violent attacks all across the Chinese homeland.”

Bush to attend or not?

President George W Bush should not attend the Olympic Games in China this August to protest against the inhuman treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government, according to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reports AFP.

“I think boycotting the opening ceremony, which really gives respect to the Chinese government, is something that should be kept on the table,” Pelosi told ABC channel on Tuesday. “I think the president might want to rethink this later, depending on what other heads of state do.”